Protest against Nadine Dorries MP’s Abstinence for Girls Bill

A demonstration has been organised for 20 January against the Sex Education (Required Content) Bill which seeks to secure abstinence education for girls only.

The parliamentary Private Members Bill proposed by Nadine Dorries MP would "require schools to provide certain additional sex education to girls aged between 13 and 16; to provide that such education must include information and advice on the benefits of abstinence from sexual activity". The Bill is scheduled for a second reading on that day.

The National Secular Society is supporting the demonstration as we believe that all teaching around sex and relationships should be evidence-based and that there is good evidence that teaching abstinence increases problems. We consider that Nadine Dorries' Bill is based on ignorance of the evidence, distortion of the facts and a religious agenda that fails to put the needs of young people first. You can read more about the Bill and our objections to it here and you can use this information to write to your MP to ask them to vote against it.

The demonstration starts at 10:30am at Old Palace Yard, Westminster, opposite Parliament. Details of the demo are here and here.